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April 26, 2021
This monthly newsletter provides the latest information about Oregon's wildfire cleanup effort and what's underway to remove debris and hazard trees following the 2020 Labor Day wildfires.
 Our charge: no more lives lost at the hands of the 2020 wildfires.
As the smoke settled, exposing the aftermath of the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, thousands of dead or dying trees fell or stood towering next to homes and Oregon state highways. To address this, the Debris Management Task Force (DMTF), led by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), took swift action to help keep highways open and communities, families, and commerce safe and mobile during these challenging times.
A critical part of this work includes thoroughly evaluating and recording each and every fire-damaged tree in designated areas next to roadways and homes. Multiple teams of professional and certified arborists check, double-check and triple-check their work before marking the fire-damaged trees that pose the greatest threats to travelers and those trying to rebuild their homes. Once marked, a separate independent contractor cuts or removes the hazard trees for a variety of uses including as habitat trees, donations to critical conservation projects, or wood chips for erosion control, among others. You can learn more about the hazard tree removal process, who these certified arborists are and what we’re doing to prioritize the important environmental values that make Oregon home.
In case you missed it, read:
 Milestone marker: more than half of the total fire-damaged home sites cleared as significant progress continues.
For ODOT and DMTF staff and crews currently working around the clock, getting Oregon families and businesses back into homes and normal life drives everything that we do. Significant progress continues as we passed the halfway marker for debris cleanup this week. Track progress on your own through our interactive progress map and data dashboard (scroll down the page) and follow our weekly operations updates on our news blog: www.debriscleanupnews.com.
 Keeping your Right of Entry (ROE) form and property questionnaire current helps keep crews moving.
While we work to help make rebuilding possible, we urge everyone with a fire-damaged home site who wishes to participate in the cleanup process to submit a Right of Entry agreement now to join the state cleanup program. For those already with an active ROE, please call us if your plans change or you choose to go a different route with your cleanup plans. Property owners can call our hotline at 503-934-1700, email odot.wildfire@odot.state.or.us or visit our website to efficiently manage your process.
As another potentially severe wildfire season approaches…
We must work together to avoid another devastating fire season. With significantly more wildfires already reported than last year, the DMTF asks all Oregonians to be fire-wise as we enter the dry summer months. While our crews help create fire-resilient areas and defensible space on select properties through removing hazard trees and other slash and fuels, take stock of your property before it’s too late. Bookmark our partners at Keep Oregon Green for more information and keep tabs on fire activity in Oregon.
In case you missed it
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